Safe Face Paint Removal

Face painting is a safe and fun experience. But eventually, it must be washed off. Although I use only face paints that contain FDA approved ingredients, some colors and brands of face paint makeup tend to stain the skin.

How to Wash Face Paint Off Your Face

Face paint will come off with mild soap and water. Do not rub the paint off as this will push the paint into your pores and possibly stain more. At parties where I face paint, I always have baby wipes, but they are not the most effective way to remove face paint.

Baby wipes can typically get the job done for small paintings, but to get rid of larger paintings and tricky colors, here’s a fool-proof way to remove the face paint.

• Without using any water, put a gently moisturizer or liquid soap (safe to use on your or your child’s face) onto your fingers and rub onto the painted area until you have mixed the colors together. This will look quite messy! Let it sit for 15-30 seconds.
• Wash your face with cool/warm water.
• Repeat as necessary.
• Use a dark-colored wash cloth, as face paint will stain your white towels and wash cloths.

How to Remove Face Paint From Your Clothes

To remove face paint from clothing, wash the article by hand in cold water using soap or pre-washing agent. Do not try to remove the face paint from clothing in a washing machine without pre-treating it first. Avoid using near sensitive fabrics like silk that absorb pigments.

Here’s how to get it done!

• Wet the stained area of clothing with cold water.
• Rub vegetable/glycerin soap into the stain.
• Stretch the area tight.
• Run under fast-flowing warm/hot water.
• Once the stain is out, you can throw your clothing in the washing machine as you normally would.

Tips

• Avoid using cheap wipes for your face. Use only a high quality baby wipe or make-up wipe.
• For lingering color, use oil-free eye make-up remover or coconut oil.
• If there is still lingering color, apply a moisturizing lotion, let it sit for a couple minutes, and wash again.
• You will have more success at removing stains if you try to remove them ASAP.
• Be sure to wash paint off before putting kids to bed to prevent possible skin reactions. There is also a risk that the paint may stain pillow cases, sheets, etc.